Los Angeles area Event report  •  Committees

Executive meeting May 2026 - AI, Entertainment and the evolving legal landscape

Guest speaker: Alex Akhavan, Special Counsel @ Sheppard

In May, members of the Entertainment Committee gathered for an Executive Meeting featuring guest speaker Alex Akhavan, Special Counsel at Sheppard Mullin, for a timely discussion on the legal implications of artificial intelligence across the entertainment industry.

As AI continues to reshape content creation, production workflows, data analysis, and audience engagement, the discussion explored some of the most pressing questions facing studios, content owners, technology providers, and creative professionals today.

Topics covered included:

• Copyright and AI training, including the distinction between AI used as a production tool versus AI trained on existing creative works.
• Guild and union considerations, particularly evolving protections around performers, writers, and digital replicas.
• Licensing and content adaptation, including the use of AI to modify, reformat, or remix existing entertainment assets for new platforms.
• Data governance and liability, examining the responsibilities of users and technology providers when sensitive information is processed through AI systems.
• Right of publicity concerns, including the use of AI-generated voices, likenesses, and other digital representations of performers.

The conversation highlighted the rapidly evolving regulatory and contractual environment surrounding AI in entertainment, as well as the increasing importance of consent, transparency, and data governance. Participants also explored broader questions about the future of creative and technical professions, the role of human judgment in an AI-driven world, and how organizations can responsibly leverage new technologies while protecting intellectual property and talent rights.

A recurring theme throughout the discussion was that while AI presents significant opportunities across the entertainment ecosystem, many legal and business frameworks continue to evolve, requiring companies to remain vigilant and adaptable. As noted in the presentation, guilds increasingly draw a distinction between AI used as a production tool and AI used to replicate or replace creative talent, while issues surrounding copyright, data privacy, and right of publicity remain active areas of debate and development.